Track and Field: Plano girls, Sandwich boys take team titles at Plano’s ‘Field of Dreams’ Invitational

PLANO – In almost every sport, the rivalry is incredibly intense when it comes to Sandwich versus Plano athletics.

So it was no shock the two schools duked it out big time at the annual Plano Track and “Field of Dreams” Invitational on Friday, April 21, on the grounds of Reaper Stadium. Each came away with a team championship and a second-place finish at the 10-team event.

The Plano girls recorded the biggest win of the proceedings as they easily outdistanced Sandwich 183 points to 121. La Salle-Peru (99.33) placed third, Streator (68.83) finished fifth, Coal City (48) was sixth, Somonauk (17.33) placed eighth while Hinckley-Big Rock (10) finished ninth.

On the boys side, Sandwich turned the tables on Plano with 178 championship points to the Reapers’ 138 second-place total. Coal City (61.5) finished fourth, L-P (49.5) fifth, Oregon (43) sixth, Streator (41) seventh, H-BR(21.5) tied for eighth while Somonauk (14) finished in 10th place.

Plano senior girl Armoney Clay had the most dominating day of all the competitors as she rounded up four first-place medals by individually winning the 100-meter dash in 12.77 seconds and the 200 in 26.56.

Clay also anchored the Reapers’ 4x100 relay (51.40) to the title with Favour Amakari, Eloina Montesinos and Alexa Sobiescyzk and the 4x200 relay (1:52.75), teamed with Sasha Helfgott-Waters, Kaylee Klatt and Amakari that provided her with a monster day on the track.

“This is my last year and I wanted to go out with a bang tonight and I think I did that,” Clay said. “We haven’t taken the girls championship trophy here since 2017, so I was so proud I could help take it home for us.”

Plano also received championship efforts from Ash Armstrong (16:18.14) in the 3,200 run and Helfgott-Waters, who won the triple jump (9.88 meters) as well as the pole vault (3.03) to take home her third title of the meet, right behind Clay’s three first-place medals.

Sandwich freshman sensation Sunny Weber paced the Indians fine day by winning the 1,600 run (5:07.72) and additionally anchoring the championship Sandwich 4x800 relay (10:39.84) with Joanna Rivera, Erin Lissman and Emily Urbanski, as well as capping off the 4x400 relay (4:37.66) title with the same group.

“Today it was so fun to go out and perform so well even though we came in second,” Weber said. “I feel like we’re getting better every day as a team and I really like the way we’re headed.”

The Indians also got victories from Rivera in the 800 (2:39.78) and Claire Allen with back-to-back throw titles in the shot put (11.81) and the discus (37.77).

Streator senior Abby Pierce swept the hurdles winning the 100 (17.11) and the 300 (50.60) while Coal City saw a pair of championship efforts from Evelyn Wills in the high jump (1.44) and Keirsten Gabehart in the long jump (4.64).

L-P’s lone girls victory on the day came from Miah Eugenia Buckley who won the 400 with a timing of 1:04.72.

But the Sandwich boys weren’t to be outdone by their rival and allow a Plano sweep of the meet.

Senior Wyatt Miller had the biggest day of all for the Indians boys by winning the 800 (2:06.22) and anchoring the winning 4x800 relay (8:31.47) with Dayton Beatty, Max Cryer and Hudson Wills as well as the title in the 4x400 (3:36.97) teamed with Beatty, Cryer and Luis Baez that put a stamp on the Sandwich boys team title.

“After winning the 4x800 and then the 800, I just left it all on the track in the 4x400,” Miller said. “To come here and beat Plano on their own track really was very satisfying for me and for all of our team.”

The Indians also received championship performances from Brodie Case in the 300 hurdles (42.50), Cryer in the 1,600 (4:38.04), Simeion Harris in the 200 (23.53), Dylan Young in the high jump (1.85) and Daniel Reedy in the shot put (13.13). Sandwich also won the 4x200 (1:36.39) with Baez, Harris, Case and Jaedon Thompson.

Plano stayed close to its rival, however, getting an amazing performance from senior Waleed Johnson, who won the 100 (11.67) and teamed with Thomas Harding, Tristan Meszaros and Christian Lopez to capture the 4x100 crown (45.16). Johnson also placed first in the triple jump (12.70).

“It was a great day for me on my last time on this track,” Johnson said. “Even though we came up a little short tonight, I’ll remember this night the way we competed as a team forever.”

Harding placed first for Plano in the 400 (52.02) while L-P’s Erik Garcia won the 3,200 (10.44.50) and Coal City’s Julian Micetich bested the field 110 hurdles (18.10) for the crown.